This year, I’m very thankful for Coffee Stain Studio’s The Westport Independent. What was already a bold game about journalism, government, and censorship (real censorship, not changing Tracer’s pose censorship) means so much more in a reality of the Donald Trump Presidency. Westport is a game where you play an editor of a newspaper that must navigate government speech laws while publishing reliable news. Most video games receive criticism for daring to be “political” right now, but I cannot stress enough the power of a game that puts the power to resist or submit on the shoulders of the ordinary. The knowledge that letting a story have teeth could get its writer killed makes every story edit horrifying. Getting a letter from the government, even to just remind you they’re watching is terrifying. In a year where distrust of the news is at an all-time high, we as a culture need a reminder of the power and importance of a free press, and how blessed we still are to have that. The Westport Independent isn’t a cheery game, but it is a very human game. I’m grateful for that, and for the press. If you didn’t play it for some reason, get it for your phone right this second. – Travis Hymas
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